


Hurt my soul, fear my spirit

by SheenaWilde



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort, Fluff, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 01:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13892904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheenaWilde/pseuds/SheenaWilde
Summary: Michel wakes up in the middle of the night somewhere. He realizes he is being held captive, along with Imshael. It is never a good sign when Imshael is silent.





	Hurt my soul, fear my spirit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [emocsibe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emocsibe/gifts).



> I owe this fic to emocsibe's prompt again. :)

It was dark when Michel finally opened his eyes. He could see the dark, starry sky through the crown of the trees and he saw orange light flicker in his periphery that must have been fire. He wasn’t quite himself, not yet – his head still hurt from the hit he got, and it must have been a good few hours since he lost consciousness if it was already dark. So yes, he needed a few minutes to be able to see past his growing headache and realize he was lying on his back, somewhere still out in the wilds. Hopefully he wasn’t carried too far, because he definitely wasn’t just left where he had been, that much was obvious.

It was obvious because Michel’s hands were tied together and Imshael sure as hell didn’t do that.

When he felt himself strong enough, Michel tried to sit up, which wasn’t an easy feat with his headache and tied hands added up. Fortunately, his legs weren’t tied down, so that helped. As he got into a sitting position, he looked around, and a unique mix of fear and relief flooded him. The fear part was the fact that he was tied down, that he was obviously kept by a mage judging by the things lying about, and that he could see Imshael across from him, past the fire, kept in a rune circle. The relief came from the fact that Imshael wasn’t using his powers to get out but was sitting in the middle of the circle with a straight back and impassive face, that he wasn’t harmed. But still, that… wasn’t good. Last time Michel saw Imshael in a predicament like this, he was already working on getting out of it. This… acceptance wasn’t good.

Michel looked around for any trace of his captor. Or captors. He honestly was not sure if it was good or bad if it was just one person who could get a trained chevalier and a powerful demon trapped like this. Although he was not sure who knocked him out. He vaguely remembered seeing a demon creep up on him but…

“Ah, you’re awake. Good” Michel heard a voice and looked up to see a tall, slim man in robes stand just a few steps away from him. They weren’t Circle robes, that much he could tell, and not usual apostate clothes, but that was what he must have been. He had long, dark hair, closer to black than brown, held back in a low ponytail, and fair skin. Michel couldn’t really tell anything more about him, nothing that could help him now. “I captured the demon who was attacking you and I have already set up the ritual to banish him from the body he possesses and also from our side of the Veil. I thought I would wait till you wake up and let you watch me. It was a long hunt for you, after all, Ser Michel” the stranger smiled at him, and that coupled with what he was saying was more than enough to make Michel queasy.

“What- How do you know my name?” Michel asked immediately, and glanced quickly towards Imshael. The demon was standing now, right at the edge of the circle, watching them intently and Michel could see the way he pressed his lips together tightly – if even the demon was nervous, he should be too.

“You are famous in this part of Thedas – or rather, infamous. Either way, I am not the only one to hear of your quest to hunt down the demon you have unleashed upon the world” the man answered simply, and while he was not exactly boastful, it came close to that. Michel could hear it in his voice that the man held himself in high regards. “I am simply the first one to successfully find you to offer my help.”

“If you really want to help me, why have me tied, too?” Michel asked and tried to stay calm, tried not to panic or get angry, he needed to think with a cool head.

“A trained chevalier like yourself, if confused and panicked, could have attacked me on sight. I’m just a mage, I had to take precautions” the man said with an innocent smile that looked anything but innocent, then walked over to a backpack lying on the ground, crouched down and started searching for something. Michel didn’t like that the man tried to take him for a fool.

“Just a mage, you say, but you captured him, who you believe to be a powerful demon” Michel said, the distaste clear in his voice – he let it so. He wanted the man to notice how he didn’t agree with him. “How would that come together?”

“I believe to be a powerful demon? What do you mean?” the man turned towards Michel with a frown and stopped his searching. “That there is Imshael, the one you’ve been chasing.”

“Yes, that is Imshael. But he is not a demon” Michel said calmly, keeping his eyes on the apostate, but from the corner of his eyes, he could see Imshael frown at him in confusion. The question ‘What are you playing at?’ was written all over his face. Michel didn’t react to it, just kept his eyes on the mage, and stayed collected.

“If he is not a demon, then what do you propose he is?” the apostate asked, voice a bit irritated, and continued to fish for something in his bag.

“He is a spirit, what else? Your little trap wouldn’t work on a human” Michel said with a shrug, and kept back his smile that wanted to form on his lips when he saw Imshael’s jaw drop. This moment would have been so much fun if he wasn’t trying to save both of their lives.

“Of course it wouldn’t work on a human!” the man said, now openly annoyed and stood up as he finally found what he was looking for – a tiny book. “But that there is Imshael! And you were fighting him when I found you!”

“Really? Did you actually look when you found us?” Michel went on calmly, the words rolling off his tongue easily, naturally. “We were both fighting, but not each other. We were fighting together. Imshael was helping me against a horde of demons because he is a spirit. Do you honestly think I would chase a demon that powerful alone? Do you think me a suicidal madman?”

“No, of course not, but-” the mage spluttered, then stopped for a minute to think. Then when he spoke, his words were careful. “He cannot be a mere spirit. The stories told of him, of his massacres… That Dalish clan…”

“Were you there to see what happened?” Michel countered immediately, still keeping up his façade, although now he was discretely trying to free his hands from the ropes. He was doing his best to lie but deception wasn’t his forte. He needed to get to action soon. “Did you talk to a survivor? A witness? Because a demon did those things you heard of, but the one you hold there is no demon and not the one you are searching for. Not the one I am chasing.”

“I- I didn’t but-” the man started slowly, voice unsure but he suddenly cut himself off. His face went blank, then darkened, and that was not a good sign. “You are lying. For what, I have no idea, because if you are the same man I heard of, you would not have accepted a deal with him. But you’re helping him. Why?”

“I’m helping him because he is no demon. You have him mistaken for someone else” Michel said calmly, and hurried with his movements. He almost got a knot undone…

“No, I do not. I feel the power in him” the mage said in a flat voice and walked over to Michel, crouched down in front of him, and leaned uncomfortably close. Michel quickly ceased his movements. “I don’t know how he got you, that circle there should keep all of his manipulation abilities in check. But we will see if you stand by your lies after I finished him.”

With that, the man stood up and walked over to the rune circle. He stopped there, opened his book and started reading something. Michel used his lack of attention to quickly resume to freeing his hands with more forceful movements now that he wasn’t watched. He didn’t look up at Imshael, he couldn’t – when he got a glimpse of him, the demon was staring at him with a sad but fond expression, and he couldn’t, right now he couldn’t deal with that, he had to focus on getting themselves out of this. The apostate started talking to the demon, asking him things like his name and if Michel was telling the truth, and Imshael was answering him in a sarcastic voice but backing up Michel’s lies. Well, from his point of view, they weren’t all lies – Imshael did refer to himself as a spirit, after all.

And they had been in fact fighting together. Imshael had been helping Michel because the chevalier had been overwhelmed by demons with no means to escape. Hadn’t been the first time to happen, and if it was up to Michel, it hadn’t been the last. He just needed to hurry up, grab his sword and shield that were propped against a tree to his right, and attack the man. Just a little longer and his hands were free…

“I guess I’ll just banish you already, then” Michel heard the man’s voice suddenly, and it made his blood run cold. “You’re not cooperating with me. You’re not worth to keep here anymore.”

Michel finally worked the ropes free, his heart pounding so loudly in his chest that he could barely hear any noise coming from outside. He cut his hands with the rope and the cuts were bleeding, but they weren’t going to get in his way, so he didn’t pay any attention to them. He jumped to his feet and rushed for his weapons, almost slipping on the fresh grass under his boots as he did, then as he finally had them, he lunged for the man. The apostate of course heard the noises he made, because he turned around as Michel came closer.

“Fire! Watch out!” Imshael shouted at him and Michel quickly held up his shield in front of him to deflect the fireball coming at him. The fire heated the shield and Michel had to grit his teeth together to not scream in pain as the metal burned his hand without his gauntlets on. But he pushed forward, raising his sword to smite down on the man. The apostate was prepared for his attack, but he couldn’t stop the sword without a staff. He could barely jump backwards to escape his blade, and Michel, now next to the rune circle, used the few moments while the mage was unable to attack to bring the pommel of his sword down on the rune stone.

“Familiar scene, isn’t it?” Imshael grinned at the chevalier as he stepped outside of the now ruined circle and was already raising his hands to prepare for an attack.

“With somewhat less theatrics and melodrama on your part” Michel answered with a grin, placing himself in front Imshael just enough to defend him, but not be in his way.

“I knew the demon did something to your mind!” the apostate shouted at them in a rage and launched another fireball at them. Fortunately, Imshael blocked it this time with a wave of his right hand, then pointed at the man with the left, sparks leaving his fingers, and he fell down on his knees. “You’re a traitor to humanity!” the man snarled at Michel angrily, his hand on his heart but wasn’t slow to return the favor, shooting a ball of energy at Michel, making him drop the shield as it got hot and burned his flesh further.

“Oh, well, too bad your opinion doesn’t matter to us” Imshael said coldly before Michel could even take a breath to answer, and walked to the man. “Good bye, now. I hope your soul gets stuck in the Fade, so I can torment it in the afterlife.”

Then with another wave of his hand, with another set of lightning, the man died.

Michel stood there for a moment, staring at the man as he lowered his weapons, then turned to Imshael who was already facing him.

“Is you hand alright? He burned you” Imshael asked as he hurried closer to him, reaching for the chevalier’s left hand and taking it in his, looking over carefully at the burnt flesh. He laid a palm carefully over the forming blisters. There was a familiar tingle in Michel’s skin, then the pain and the blisters were gone.

“Thank you” Michel smiled at Imshael as the demon let go of his hand, then went to pick up his shield. He stopped for a moment as his eyes caught sight of the dead mage and thought for a moment. “How could he capture you? You finished him so easily, I cannot understand how” Michel asked the only question that was swirling in his mind since he had woken up.

“It’s-” Imshael started slowly, then looked away from Michel. “He got you. A demon knocked you down and he killed it, but then he dragged you away, and I couldn’t- There were so many small demons that would have meant nothing to me if I were fighting alone, but I couldn’t risk to hurt you, so I got caught up in the fight, still distracted that I need to get you, and he managed to lure me into his trap.”

“That… is surprisingly sweet, coming from a demon” Michel said with a smile playing on his lips as he sheathed his sword and stepped closer to Imshael.

“Oh, now back to demon again? I was so happy when you were arguing for my being a spirit” Imshael smirked as he cupped Michel’s face in his hand, the other coming up to his waist.

“Ah, yes, if you call utter confusion and shock ‘happy’, then I saw you were” Michel grinned back at him and put his free hand on Imshael’s shoulder.

“Cheeky” Imshael muttered, leaning closer.

“I learned from the best” Michel whispered against Imshael’s lips, then closed his eyes and let the demon kiss him. “We should go back to my camp and leave him here to be found by someone who cares.”

“Sounds like a plan, although I don’t think he has anyone travelling with him” Imshael said with a nod, then looked at the corpse. “He seemed like the unbearable type who didn’t have too many friends.”

“I agree” Michel laughed at that, then swung his shield to his back and let Imshael take his hand as they started walking away from this damned camp.


End file.
